tuna safety

I've been very busy with work lately and to make sure I don't miss any meals, I've been eating tons of tuna out of convenience while I'm driving around. Mostly the Starkist pouches of tuna fillets..at least 3 a day while I'm working.

I know there is a 'safe' amount to eat according to the mercury bs, but is it really that bad to OD on tuna?

Probably the safe amount of Mercury is "Zero" but that would be impossible to achieve in a normal diet. I take 1000mg of Methionine/day in the hope that it will help with lowering my cholesterol and apparently it also helps with the elimination of Mercury from the body as well. I eat canned tuna regularly but not at every meal, I've often wondered about the amount I'm ingesting.

thanks so much for the info!!! I've been to that site before and I've used the mercury calculator and I'm of course consuming WAY too much according to the charts.

I figure they are being extra conservative in covering their asses with the tuna legalities, but do most big tuna eaters go over the limit also? and have any BB'ers ever really felt the side effects/symptoms of poisoning they speak of?

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Agreed

Originally Posted by jmurjr

I go over the recommended amount all the time (not sure if it is safe or not)but hell I take alot more than the recommended amounts of several vitamins.

Like jmurjr said, we are probably eating way to much of everything according to the "experts". Hell, the water we drink is polluted (even bottled), the air is full of smog, acid rain is everywhere leaching into the soil, and the garden fresh vegatables are full of insecticides.

I'm not going to live forever anyway, so I don't worry about it.

But if you are worried about it, I have also seen those pouches of chicken as well as tuna. Might want to give them a try instead.

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Based on my own experiences with eating 3-4 cans of tuna (not albacore) a day over the period of several months, I would not recommend it. Although I never felt sick or anything like that, I started to break out on my lower abdominals in a manner I had never before experienced. Once I stopped eating all that tuna, my skin cleared up without any trace left of what once was there. I have since gone back to eating ONE can a day in the morning when I get to work without any problems.

I use to do the 3 cans a day thing. My Doc was so pissed at me he did a hair analysis and showed me that my merury levels were off the charts. He put me on some kind of medication to purge the chit. Count me in on the chicken route.

This is the 5th one of these threads in 6 months and if you're that anal about the levels of mercury then you need to look for some other protein source. Something will kill you, be it old age, a bullet, a car accident or cancer.

These animal are pelagic, that means they swim the open oceans following their food sources, usually dolphins, Mahi Mahi, not Flipper. They have to eat CONSTANTLY to stay alive, much more than any other fishes in the ocean. This means they're processing up to 1.5x their bodyweight in food PER DAY. With the amount of pollution in their environment, it's no wonder they're tainted with mercury and other heavy metals, the food fishes that the dolphins feed upon are filtre feeders which. In my opinion is the very reson they are tainted because these fish feed closer inshore and drag these pollutants back out to sea with them. Albacore feed closer to shore than say a Yellowfin or Big Eye.

This is the 5th one of these threads in 6 months and if you're that anal about the levels of mercury then you need to look for some other protein source. Something will kill you, be it old age, a bullet, a car accident or cancer.

These animal are pelagic, that means they swim the open oceans following their food sources, usually dolphins, Mahi Mahi, not Flipper. They have to eat CONSTANTLY to stay alive, much more than any other fishes in the ocean. This means they're processing up to 1.5x their bodyweight in food PER DAY. With the amount of pollution in their environment, it's no wonder they're tainted with mercury and other heavy metals, the food fishes that the dolphins feed upon are filtre feeders which. In my opinion is the very reson they are tainted because these fish feed closer inshore and drag these pollutants back out to sea with them. Albacore feed closer to shore than say a Yellowfin or Big Eye.

I'll find links when I get home, but I read quite a few articles that attribute the mercury levels in fish not so much to pollution, but as "naturally occuring" (methylmercury, I believe). It's not pure mercury like you'd see in a test tube, but some chemical derivative. It's like the mercury in Thimerosal that they put in certain immunization shots...it's not straight mercury, and has never been conclusively proven to do harm. Supposedly it used to heighten the probability of birth defects, but I can't find any documentation that proved it 100%.

Sure, guzzling straight mercury will do you in, but a few tuna cans a day won't kill you, especially if you take certain supps to help remove heavy metals from your system.

edit: this chemical derivative could simply be the actual mercury that gets pumped into the environment, as per Green's post...I'm no chemist.

These animal are pelagic, that means they swim the open oceans following their food sources, usually dolphins, Mahi Mahi, not Flipper. They have to eat CONSTANTLY to stay alive, much more than any other fishes in the ocean. This means they're processing up to 1.5x their bodyweight in food PER DAY. With the amount of pollution in their environment, it's no wonder they're tainted with mercury and other heavy metals, the food fishes that the dolphins feed upon are filtre feeders which. In my opinion is the very reson they are tainted because these fish feed closer inshore and drag these pollutants back out to sea with them. Albacore feed closer to shore than say a Yellowfin or Big Eye.

Well put. To follow this up, here's a list of fish deemed "rather safe" for miniscule amounts of mercury present:

I don't do canned tuna, but I do eat 4 oz of tuna sashimi every day for lunch. I've been doing it for about a month, I'm going to keep doing it for another 2 months then get my levels tested when I go in for my physical.

Actually Croakers are a type of drum, like redfish. They get their name from the way they beat theis muscles against their swim bladder, it makes a craoking or burping noise.

Watch where the Tilapia come from, the ones from Asia aren't the same quality as the fish here in the USA. I raised 12,000 lbs of Tilapia this year, I sell all over the Northeast I know how mine are treated, fed and harvested as I have them from conception to slaughter.

The tuna issue is one that is a case of environmental pollution. As I said in my earlier post this is due to the way they eat, CONTINUOUSLY! There isn't anywhere near the pollution 30 miles and more offshore as there is in the inshore waters. For instance, a 300 lb tuna eats anywhere from 300 to 450 lbs of food in a day. They need the energy to avoud being eaten themselves. With this amount of food being ingested on a daily basis, there's no wonder they are tainted will all sorts of toxins that are ingested and stay in the meats.

A 100,000,000 egg spawn of tuna will net 3 adults, to put it into perspective. If you're a dolphin, Mahi Mahi, it takes 400,000,000 to get the same number to adulthood. These are the odds in the open ocean guys and gals, not too good. It eat or be eaten and eat a lot to stay ahead of the "be eaten " curve.

As for those studys, I'll have a look at them when I get back at university on monday and draw a conclusion then, it looks like someone has an agenda there. I'm like fitty in that respect, I follow the money trail then make a decision.

For instance, a 300 lb tuna eats anywhere from 300 to 450 lbs of food in a day.

mmm...300 lb tuna...

Good to have some knowledge in the field on the board, Tonto.

I know some of the stuff on that page was spewed forth by people with agendas, but as I said, you can filter out a lot of that. My wife stayed away from pretty much all fish/seafood while she was pregnant, except for the local farm-bred organics, and that was a meeeelion $$$/pound.

Guys.. I really hate to do this, I too love my fish too, but, you should not eat to much of certain types fish and seafood, here is a link to the FDA telling how much is in species by average.. to much mercury can really take the lead out of your pencil..

If I remember correctly, farm raised fish and shellfish have even higher levels of contamination, sometimes by 3 times the levels contamination of wild caught fish and shellfish, meaning if it is farm raised you should be eating even less of it per week. It is my understanding that ALL fish carry some levels mercury, and other pollutants as well.. the mercury is a secondary concern in some species of shellfish, especially farm raised in Asia (not to include Australia).

Any seafood and shellfish that is imported from Asia/Pacific (other than Australia) you should avoid.. just my advice..

(The reason farm raised tend to have higher levels of things you dont want to eat including mercury, due to watershed from rain washing the build up of pollutants that are on the ground into the local water systems).

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There is also a company that makes certifed 'low mercury' tuna by only keeping the smaller fish. It's expensive though! It's called 'Wild Planet'. You can find it by searching for 'low mercury tuna' at amazon.com.

I like croaker! I like shark too, but the big ones are really high in mercury. I catch small ones (~2 ft) so I figure those are pretty safe.

Darren

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At one point I was so full of mercury I was able to rent myself out as a thermometer for outdoor parties.

I do believe there is more than just negative hysteria about fish that tend to be old when caught and marketable, and mercury contamination. Seems these critters tend to collect more and more contamination year after year, and they don't metabolize nearly at the rate at which they live. I'm thinking we don't either, therefore I tend to mix up my quick and easy "from the can" eating between tuna, chicken, turkey, and beef equally more or less.

The double-blind, published, and peer reviewed studies on this are scant so I'm going by feel. Three cans of tuna a day wouldn't feel right to me but I can't prove it's a bad idea.

I've been very busy with work lately and to make sure I don't miss any meals, I've been eating tons of tuna out of convenience while I'm driving around. Mostly the Starkist pouches of tuna fillets..at least 3 a day while I'm working.

I know there is a 'safe' amount to eat according to the mercury bs, but is it really that bad to OD on tuna?

When you can start telling the temperature EXACTLY, you know you have had too much...

Here's one of my favorite articles about tuna and mercury. Yep, it's just another article, but it's also one that I personally agree with:

The best science indicates that trace amounts of mercury in the fish Americans eat simply aren't high enough to pose a health risk. But measuring only mercury further exaggerates this hypothetical risk. There's another scientific wrinkle that few environmental groups are talking about -- largely because it doesn't help to promote their scare campaigns. An accurate picture of the health consequences of eating fish must include other substances that affect the way mercury interacts with the human body.

Selenium is plentiful in fish, but the public hasn't heard much about its role in the mercury puzzle. As biochemists, pharmacologists, and neurologists study this nutrient, we're gaining a better understanding of its importance.

In scientific jargon, selenium has an unusually high "binding affinity" for mercury. In layman's terms, this means that when the two elements are found together, they tend to connect, forming a new substance. This makes it difficult for the human body to absorb the mercury separately. So when mercury "binds" to selenium, it's no longer free to "bind" to anything else -- like brain tissue.

The research world is still developing explanations for exactly how selenium cancels out mercury's potentially toxic effects, but most scientists accept one of two competing theories.

The conventional idea describes selenium as a sort of "mercury magnet." Under this theory, once selenium is digested it can locate and neutralize mercury molecules. In one study, Japanese researchers found that adding selenium to the diets of birds "gave complete protection" from large amounts of mercury. Research carried out by scientists in Scotland and the Philippines has concluded that the relationship between mercury and selenium is one of "toxicological antagonism." And in the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency describes selenium as an element that is "antagonistic to the toxic effects of mercury."

The more recent selenium hypothesis holds that mercury takes a more active role in the relationship. Under this theory, when mercury enters the body it seeks out selenium and takes it out of circulation, preventing the body from creating enzymes that depend on selenium to perform their functions. Enzymes are special proteins that control the various steps in chemical reactions that make life possible. Without enough selenium-based enzymes, the functions of the brain and other organs can be affected.

While this might sound scary, problems can only occur if we don't get enough selenium to counteract the trace amounts of mercury in the fish we eat. And fish are so rich in selenium that this is not likely to happen. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has measured selenium levels in more than 1,000 commonly consumed foods, and 16 of the 25 best sources of dietary selenium are ocean fish. University of North Dakota environmental scientist Dr. Nicholas Ralston is an expert on the relationship between selenium and mercury. Here's how he describes it:
Think of dietary selenium as if it were your income and dietary mercury as if it were a bill that you need to pay. Just as we all need a certain amount of money to cover living expenses such as food and rent, we all need a certain amount of selenium ... Only one major study has shown negative effects from exposure to mercury from seafood, and that seafood was pilot whale meat. Pilot whale meat is unusual in that it contains more mercury than selenium. When you eat pilot whale meat, it's like getting a bill for $400 and a check for less than $100. If that happens too much, you go bankrupt. On the other hand, if you eat ocean fish, it's like getting a check in the mail for $500 and getting a bill for $25. The more that happens, the happier you are.

Dr. Ralston is right. Researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found that most of the fish we eat contains significantly more selenium than mercury. Seafood that contains more mercury (Hg) than selenium (Se) includes pilot whale, tarpon, marlin, and some shark. Fish we most commonly consume, including all forms of tuna and salmon, are rich in selenium.

More importantly: Mercury levels found in fish have actually DECLINED or stayed the same over the past 10 years.